How to Choose a Crib

The choices of cribs you can get today are almost endless and many are expensive. In our experience, we liked that our crib, the IKEA white Sundvik, was easy to assemble/disassemble, light but sturdy, and it was convertible to a toddler bed without needing to buy extra parts.

All cribs are made of wood and it sometimes take a long time for babies to understand not to bash their faces against the crib rails, so we also had to purchase the Go Mama Go Wonder Bumpers. It is a wonderful product which allowed us to leave our baby playing in the crib alone without worrying that he’d hurt himself.

Whether you will get a brand new crib or accept a hand-me-down one, make sure that the crib is sturdy and there are no loose parts (especially the grills). Here is a guide on buying a crib

1. Choose the one with multiple height settings/stages – This means that you can adjust the mattress height. You will be picking up the baby from the crib countless times to feed or change the diaper and it will help your back if you won’t have to bend too low in getting the baby out of the crib.

2. Think again before buying a crib with a changer attached to it – The changer will be kind of the baby’s washroom, you may not want the baby sleeping next to it. Besides it’s really not a big deal walking a few feet from the crib to change the baby.

3. Purchase the crib from a reputable store and choose a reputable brand – Reputable brands follow certain safety standards. You may want to check for crib recalls as well.

4. Be informed when buying a convertible crib (cribs which can be converted to a toddler bed) – Because not only are they more expensive but you will likely need to buy an extra part (such as additional rails) to turn the crib into a toddler bed. In the future you may also want to get a Disney princess bed for your daughter or a Thomas Train bed for your son instead.

5. You may want to avoid splurging too much on a nice crib as the accessories you need to get for the crib are just as important and can be expensive as well.